Letter-file.



uw 9 8, nw u A d e t, n e t a P No; 630,375. v E. C. MAGNUS.

LETTER FILE.

(Application med Jan. 1s,- 1s99.)`

(mi Model.)

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UN-lrT-ED-f;N STATES lPATENT OFFICE.

EDNVARD CHARLFSMAGNUS, OF POPPELSDORF-BONN, GERMANY.

LETTER-FILE.

SPECIFICATON fdgming para of nettersratent No. 630,375, dated August s,1899.

Application iilecl January 18, 1899. Serial No. 702,582. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD CHARLES MAG- NUs, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, and a resident of Poppelsdorf-Bonn, in the Provinceof the Rhine, German Empire, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Letter-Files, (for which application for patent wasfiled in Germany on the 3d of Decelnber, 1898,) of which the followingis an exact specification.

Certain letter-tiles or letter-clamps hitherto used were of such aconstruction that the wire clamping-frame was acted upon by a spiralspring attached to the frame at one side and to the board of the file atthe other side, so that the frame was under tension in its open as wellas in its closed position. In both positions the spring acted upon theframe at an acute angle and through the intermedium of a shortlever-arm, its force thus never being fully utilized. In consequenceofthis cornparatively feeble' pressureV the4 documents, when the file washanging vertically,`were apt to slip out and fall. `The unfavorableaction of the spiral spring was increased when a greater number ofletters was under the clamping-frame, as the frame as it was raised awayfrom. the board-caused the angle at which the spring acted upon theextension part or handle-piece of the frame to grow more acute, therebydecreasing the pressure of the frame against the board. In its openposition the frame was held by the spring under an increased tension andwhen released, after having passed the dead-center, Was violently thrownonto the board. Using a more powerful spring for the purpose of securinggreater pressure of the frame upon the board would not be advantageous,as this would naturally enhance the drawback mentioned.

To prevent this inconvenience is the object of my invention, in whichthe spiral spring acting upon the frame is not attached, as usually,tothe board proper, but to a revoluble disk or similar device in such amanner that, according to the two extreme positions of the disl,thespring either presses the frame downup'on the`docnments on the boardwith its forceincreased by a long lever-arm or it tends to draw or liftthe frame away from the `frame c is the ordinary one. sion-piece c ofthe frame is covered by a cap the board. The intermediate positions ofthe disk allow of regulating the tension of the spiral spring withincertain limits.

In order to make my invention more clear, I refer to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure l is a side view through my letterclamp, thewire clamping-frame being pressed down upon the board, its positionwhenlifted being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a top view of Fig. l. Fig.3 is a back View of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side view,`the lframe heiliglifted. Fig. 5 is a top view of Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 a rear view of Fig.4.

In all the figures the board is only partly shown, and similar lettersdenote similar parts throughout the various iigures.

On the board a as usually employed is fastened a metal part b, providedwith a bearing for the 'clamping-frame c. The shape of The extene, intowhich is hooked the one end of the spiral spring d. The other end of thespring is attached to a short arm f', revolubly attached to thebearing-plate b by means of a stud g. The short arm f' forms abell-crank lever with an arm 7L, having at its free eX- tremitya wing orthumb-piece 7c, the arms f' and h being adapted to rotate one hundredand eighty degrees around the stud g.

In the position shownin Figs. 1 to 3 the clamping-frame c is forciblypressed against the board cr. i

In the position shown in Figs, 4. to G the bellcrank lever f 7L isturned so that the shorter arm f', to which the spring d is attached,points vertically downward, which position causes the spring to act fromthis lower point, whereby the extension-piece c' is drawn down and theframe proper, c, lifted. The accidental and forcible flying back of theframe upon the board is thereby absolutely prevented, Which cannot beattained with this class of letter-files as hitherto constructed.

Having thus fully described the nature of this invention, what I desireto'secure by j Letters Patent of the United States isw i In aletter-file, the combination ofa boardplate a, with a clamping-frame chaving an extension-piece c' provided with a cap e, a

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plate b xed to the board-plate andforming the bearing of theclamping-fram@ a bellerank lever` f h revolubly attached to the plate b,a spiral spring d fixed to the cap e I and to the shorter arm f of thebell-crank lever f h, the whole substantially as and for y the purposeset-forth.

In Witness whereof I have hereu-utoset my hand in presence of twoWitnesses.

EDWARD CHARLES MAGNUS.

Vitmesses:

WILLIAM H. MADDEN, CHAS. E. BARNES.

